Cerity Partners LLC Purchases New Position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in Universal Co. (NYSE:UVV - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 19,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,346,000. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.08% of Universal as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Universal in the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,187,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Universal by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,139,598 shares of the company's stock worth $53,800,000 after acquiring an additional 203,514 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Universal by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 1,117,463 shares of the company's stock worth $52,755,000 after acquiring an additional 178,592 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Universal by 2,841.9% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 171,983 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 166,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Universal by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,514,372 shares of the company's stock worth $91,620,000 after acquiring an additional 114,160 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.00% of the company's stock.

Universal Stock Up 1.9 %

UVV stock traded up $0.96 on Friday, reaching $51.46. 190,844 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 188,431. Universal Co. has a one year low of $44.40 and a one year high of $67.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 3.22 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 0.79. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.86.

Universal (NYSE:UVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter. Universal had a return on equity of 7.46% and a net margin of 4.98%. The company had revenue of $821.51 million during the quarter.

Universal Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 5th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.22%. Universal's dividend payout ratio is 60.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Universal from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 10th.

Universal Profile

Universal Corporation processes and supplies leaf tobacco and plant-based ingredients worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Tobacco Operations; and Ingredients Operations. It is involved in the procuring, financing, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to manufacturers of consumer tobacco products.